Wildfire prevention and helping Maui recover from flames top the agenda for Hawaii lawmakers
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers are due to convene this week for the first time since the awakened the state to the deadly and costly threat posed by wildfires in an age of climate change.
The tragedy refocused the attention of lawmakers. Now, fighting and preventing wildfires and helping the island of Maui recover from the flames top the agenda as Hawaii’s Legislature returns for a new session this week.
“It really kicked us into gear in a different way,” said state Rep. Nadine Nakamura, the House
Abdication in our age: a look at royals who have retired in recent years
will become Denmark’s first monarch to abdicate in nearly 900 years when she hands over the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik, on Sunday. Margrethe always maintained during her 52-year-reign that she wouldn’t quit, but back surgery and other ailments left her unable to undertake as much as she could in the past. “Time takes its toll,” she said, to abdicate in a New Year’s address that stunned the kingdom.
For centuries monarchs were far more
States with big climate goals strip local power to block green projects
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Clean energy developers had planned a 75-turbine wind farm in mid-Michigan’s Montcalm County before local voters shot down the idea in 2022 and recalled seven local officials who had supported it.
About 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast, Clara Ostrander in Monroe County found herself at the center of as rising medical costs forced her and her husband to consider selling land her family has owned for 150 years.
Leasing a parcel
Denmark to proclaim a new king as Queen Margrethe signs historic abdication
Denmark’s prime minister proclaimed Frederik X as king on Sunday after his mother Queen Margrethe II formally signed her abdication, with massive crowds turning out to rejoice in the throne passing from a beloved monarch to her popular son.
Margrethe, 83, is the first Danish monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne in nearly 900 years. Many thousands of people gathered outside the palace where the royal succession took place, the mood jubilant as the Nordic nation experienced its first royal succession in more than a half-century,
Louisiana’s special session kicks off Monday. Here’s a look at what may be discussed
Louisiana’s newly inaugurated Legislature is set to convene for an eight-day special session Monday during which lawmakers will discuss items that could impact how the state conducts elections.
The focus of the session is to redraw Louisiana’s congressional map after a federal judge ruled that current boundaries violate the Voting Rights Act. Lawmakers also may explore new state Supreme Court districts and moving away from the state’s unique “jungle primary” system. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has that the Legislature can discuss.
The session is scheduled
AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST
White House says ‘it’s the right time’ for Israel to scale back Gaza war as fighting hits 100 days
JERUSALEM (AP) — The White House said Sunday that “it’s the right time” for Israel to scale back its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli leaders again vowed to press ahead with their operation against the territory’s ruling Hamas militant group.
The comments exposed the growing differences between the close allies on the 100th day of the war.
Also
Patrick Mahomes leads Chiefs to 26-7 playoff win over Miami in near-record low temps
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It was so cold that on a hit. Andy Reid’s mustache froze on the sideline. Fans and players alike huddled for warmth, trying their best to grit their way through .
The Kansas City Chiefs managed to handle the adversity well Saturday night.
Handled the Miami Dolphins quite well, too.
Mahomes threw for 262 yards, found Rashee Rice eight times for 130 yards and a touchdown, and made several daring runs for key first downs. Isiah
In Uganda, refugees’ need for wood ravaged the forest. Now, they work to restore it
NAKIVALE, Uganda (AP) — Enock Twagirayesu was seeking sanctuary when he and his family fled violence in Burundi, and they found it in Uganda, the small East African nation that has absorbed thousands of .
Twagirayesu’s family has grown from two children when they arrived more than a decade ago to eight now, a boon for the family but also a marker of the immense pressure the Nakivale Refugee Settlement has put on the landscape near the Tanzania border.
What was wide forest cover two decades ago is now mostly gone
Indonesia’s Mount Marapi erupts again, leading to evacuations but no reported casualties
AGAM, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Mount Marapi erupted again on Sunday, spewing smoke and ash high into the air, but no casualties were reported.
The Marapi Volcano Observation Post in West Sumatra province recorded an eruption with an ash column about 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) high from its peak, followed by ash rain. Sprays of ash from the eruption were seen blanketing roads and vehicles in nearby villages.
At least 100 residents have been evacuated since Friday
A royal first: Australia celebrates Princess Mary’s historic rise to be queen consort in Denmark
SYDNEY (AP) — For the first time, Australians find themselves on the brink of witnessing one of their own, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, rise to the rank of queen when her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, is proclaimed king of that European nation Sunday.
He will become two weeks after his 83-year-old mother, Queen Margrethe II, .
The 51-year-old Crown Princess Mary’s unlikely journey from Tasmania to European royalty as the world’s first Australian-born